pollution. isn't it time for good news eco africa people and projects that are changing our environment for the better it's up to us to make a difference let's inspire each other. to let. the environment magazine. d.w. . you buddy daughter today i'm talking to via tata about german colonialism and the future of africa a computer scientist and journalist she's lived in dog bun for the last twenty seven years in her magazine africa positive she campaigns for a self-determined future for africa you know sort of i don't know and mr carter when you left the former german colony of cameroon for germany in one nine hundred

ninety one did you feel you needed to leave your country for a better life or not you come out with its ideas issue though at the time cameron was a lovely place but as a young girl i had this image of europe and america as a paradise i thought it would be nice to go to college in europe. so i just came here to study with the aim of returning home one day. so after coming to paradise you realise that it was cold and people are saying is they still do that africa was a continent plagued with crises wars corruption and starving children is that a completely wrong perspective and. yeah i. was well it's not quite as black and white as that that's the problem of. when i came to this so-called paradise i was confronted with a different reality and the reality was a young african woman like me comes here and thanks people will be friendly overall

community. but we looked different i felt rejected by society. i had never experienced that before. or and then this negative image of africa everything black is bad and that bothered me a lot back then you shifted. to this day the legacy of colonialism remains in africa one hundred years after the end of german colonialism germany wants to come to terms with that past what does germany oh its former colonies. any sense is if you write a great deal actually might or i believe the present day problems of the african continent are tied to its colonial history with europe. and the tie because when european colonialists left africa africa they didn't leave those nations in a position to take the future into their own hands independently but that. you know

either that they left things in a way that made african countries dependent on europe so europe could continue to exploit them. like that he's a little boy that is you know that's why we say relations with african nations need to be honest and europeans and western countries still have a system in place when it comes to development aid unfair trading relations and unfair interference and political affairs. and that has to start had to be. otherwise there can be no real working relationship between african and european nations. because you open your basically but there are solid economic and political interests at stake you want to disturb that way. it's been my dream i know for you all because i haven't either i still don't think the europeans would be the ones to do it because they've always benefited from the set up and it has to be from us

from the african assize. but for us to shake things out in there has to be a shift in our mindset what i call a mental revolution equally yet i think you know after colonialism many people in these countries developed an unfair e.r.d. complex because the colonialists always said everything that comes from your country is battling yet we are the only ones who can solve your problems and our products are the only good ones. what would they actually change people's perception of africa one into one oriented to europe and not their own country ordered. one of the people relinquish their ability to make their own decisions like we have to say it's time we solve our own problems we want to find our own local solutions and bring africa forward. that's what i mean by a shift in mindset where africa many africans have to change that own mindset and say it's up to us we can run our own countries and in fact that we have to the

need of the industry and good missing is a big orientation to europe is part of the refugee problem too is not on the refugees look towards europe and imagine a better life there is this huge african refugee movement ultimately the legacy of colonialism. they're calling out plus and this myth and then that it's all connected which have a way we say. look at the political situation in africa and a lot of countries still have a democratic system or a political system that is a carbon copy of the european system but we have a completely different culture but why must all institutions imitate european ones like because they left them like that and we just took them over this land normally it's up to country has to define their own traditions i think in the you know what . how can we form our own government so that they reflect our own needs and lives.

ones that will lead but we shouldn't just carry on with systems handed down from europe. for me i mean these are the mistakes that some countries are still making i thought well feel the imma look i think a little. since the refugee crisis european politicians have been visiting africa in droves the german chancellor to be accompanied by large business delegations as investment is a key issue for getting up or go to stand on its own two feet but these investments are at the discretion of the business community and how do you hope that their involvement good bro. about a change in attitude or maybe they will take some risks using idea. that it's always interesting what people forget is that development can only happen within the country europeans won't come to africa and develop it africans have to develop africa themselves africa africa so you oppose development of the doited right many

local people really understand the local problems. uncle americal doesn't need to come and for britain there are lots of young entrepreneurs and creative people they just don't have the capital to transform their ideas into products or to set up production facilities in africa that maybe europeans could appreciate that it would be better for africans to make chocolate in africa and stead of exporting cocoa to europe and this would create thousands of jobs in ghana and the ivory coast young people would be employed locally and would no longer head for europe. but europe only wants to make profits and does not think long term that there needs to be a win win situation in this relationship with africa we said for me it's really all just a facade. we know exactly what the problems are and all we need is the capital in those countries not in politicians hands but in the hands of business people the reach of which hasn't been in the usa there are a lot of creative minds in africa are they able to transform their ideas into

businesses and you know what about your country cameroon but reposing you have like um you know would come over well cameroon is a special case. but in fact there are various countries now on the right path when we talk about africa it's not all the same it's not how modern us some countries really work botswana is doing great economically and politically there's gonna and south africa it means that as an african i can see which countries are like to go see it and set up a business but in cameroon it's really difficult at the moment i come up with. if you don't. seems that some of the africans who come to europe can at least afford the journey here or there proactive and courageous taking their fate into their own hands but is it not the wrong people who are fleeing the fight and fault. of the often it's the wrong ones who leave yes but there are a lot of factors causing young people to flee yet it's human to look around and see

where i can live a better life. that it's not any africans who face that issue you dislike it. it was the same when europeans migration to america its human being is mentally. with the unity of course and those who come to germany are coming to the wrong country if we look at the anti foreign demonstrations in chemist's last week what impression of germany must they get looking at recent events that target all those letters going fascist germany is not the wrong country to come to that it's just that now it's not only in germany but in l.a. or hungry to all there are lots of european countries where people are protesting against integration would. it doesn't mean it's the wrong country but i think it's a question of how you communicate this change in society to the population. the question is whether we the media have always done a good job here. you might wish that do we know the background of why so many

people flee from their homelands. have we always informed people here about that have we told them for instance who is behind the horse in the congo there is he the congo is such a rich country yet it has so poor why always why did i say that because of the operations of european firms. but people here are not properly informed so i don't understand why others flee their own countries. so racism is also part of the colonial legacy that i live it's all connected the way the german media report on africa is always very eurocentric like everything from europe is seen as great as well everything from africa or the us black is negative. let's watch what it is truly this is right now clearly it is in the headlines when you came to germany it was towns like mearns olinguito rostock with violence towards foreigners did you consider leaving germany and going back to africa. why no i didn't it all happened

quite far away from me like as not as if i didn't experience every day racism that every foreigner who lives here. experiences racism everyday racism but you get used to it. how do you deal with it hard to see you but it's everywhere in the supermarket on the street on the bus just the way people look at you some people look at you in a friendly way others give you dismissive looks you can say it in people's body language and some people even give you verbal abuse you get used to it and that's just how it is it's always that's what you keep fighting for your grown ups about i will there were views in we've reached the end of our interview no i'm his daughter and i have three unfinished statements that i'd like you to complete and to do to fill in for me germany means budget germany means an awful lot to me that's where i built my future light off the board i feel attached to this country. really and

when i think of cameroon where i was born i think of all my wonderful childhood and how i always dreamed of traveling. i offer my wish for africa's future is it went to me as if it was the confident africans who pursue their goals with discipline you know and you think about the majority of africans are not just a small group of people lack off and claiming their mission for what they are trying to thank you very much thank you. lehman brothers ten years on a story of ambition greed and megalomania. we're so clever the reason controls the rich that's what makes me think of investment bankers talking carrousel was never stopped everything is wrong the wanted to me nor the reality of the whole thing might blow off in my face of

a system that spun out of control. all the more that will. cause everything the crash the investment bank lehman brothers start september thirteenth on t w.